> Retrans woes aren't a thing of the recent past, as a current contract dispute between Time Warner Cable and ESPN shows. If the two don't resolve their differences by September, TWC customers could miss the OSU-Miami football game, among other sports highlights, the Columbus Dispatch reports. Story.

> The American Cable Association wants two more weeks to review details of the Comcast-NBC Universal merger, reports Multichannel News. The 599-page filing that arrived July 21 can't possibly be properly vetted within 14 days, the ACA says. Story.

> Want to hang with the jet set--or just say that you do? Turn on USA Network, says the Hollywood Reporter. A recent Nielsen Media Research report says that programs Royal Pains and Burn Notice attract the highest percentage of affluent viewers. Story.

And finally... the Beeb (that is, BBC America) is taking a new tack, Variety says, with plans to develop television shows for local markets within the U.S. Story.